A Miserable Reformer

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We have entered the last quarter of the Church's year and I am beginning to pull together my conclusions about the effects of the calendar reforms of Pius X.  I have found one of the fruits of that change in Fr Bouyer's memoirs, which I mentioned here last week.

He mentions the major onslaught on the Roman Calendar of the post-Vatican II reformers, and quotes the principal author of that onslaught, Fr Jounel, as saying:

"The feasts of the Saints must be rare, since rarity is one of the conditions of festive joy."

It is hard to imagine anything less Catholic! (It is hard to imagine that Fr Jounel was much of a Chestertonian: he sounds like a caricature of a Calvinistic Methodist.)

But the more Sundays become Ordinary, the more the Mass becomes an act of catechesis, and therefore the less the need for catechesis of adults separate from Mass.

Still, I've found an encouraging quote from Pope Francis to counter Fr Jounel:

"Finally an evangelizing community is filled with joy; it knows how to rejoice always. It celebrates every small victory, every step forward in the work of evangelization. Evangelization with joy becomes beauty in the liturgy, as part of our daily concern to spread goodness. The Church evangelizes and is herself evangelized through the beauty of the liturgy, which is both a celebration of the task of evangelization and the source of her renewed self-giving." (Evangelii Gaudium 24)

Fourteenth Sunday After Pentecost 1863

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30 SUNDAY Fourteenth after Pentecost. St Rose of Lima, Virgin, double. Second prayers and Last Gospel of the Sunday. Third prayers of Sts Felix and Adauctus, Martyrs. White. Second Vespers of St Rose to the Little Chapter, thence of St Aidan with Commemorations of St Rose and the Sunday. [In Diocese of Nottingham, The Dedication of the Cathedral, Double of the First Class (with an Octave at Nottingham, during which commemoration of the Octave and Creed.) Second prayers and Last Gospel of the Sunday. White. Second Vespers of the Dedication, with Commemorations of St Aidan and of the Sunday.]

31 Monday. St Aidan, Bishop Confessor, double. White. [In Diocese of Liverpool, Plenary Indulgence.]

1 Tuesday. St Raymond Nonnatus, Confessor, double. Second prayers of St Giles, Abbot. Third prayers of the XII Holy Brothers. White.

2 Wednesday. St Stephen, King Confessor, semidouble. Second prayers A Cunctis. Third prayers at the choice of the priest. White.

3 Thursday. Of the Blessed Sacrament, semidouble. Second prayers A Cunctis. Third prayers at the choice of the priest. White. [In Diocese of Beverley, Fourth Prayers for the Bishop. At Newcastle, St Augustine Bishop Confessor Doctor (transferred from 28 August). In Diocese of Nottingham St Rose of Lima, Virgin, double. White.]

4 Friday.  Feria. Second prayers Fidelium (for the Dead). Third prayers A Cunctis. Green.  Abstinence. [In Diocese of Hexham and Newcastle, The Translation of St Cuthbert, Bishop Confessor, greater double. White. In Diocese of St David's and Newport, the Dedication of the Pro-Cathedral, double of the First Class. Creed. White. At Nottingham, of the Octave, semidouble. Second prayers Concede. Third prayers for the Church or Pope. White.]

5 Saturday. St Laurence Justinian, Bishop Confessor, semidouble. Second prayers A Cunctis. Third prayers at the choice of the priest. White.

More localism: "at Nottingham" here comprises only one Catholic Church, the Pro-Cathedral itself, so in that Church alone, in the entire world, will the Octave of its Dedication be celebrated.

At Brompton in Chatham, the parish of St Michael is served by the Rev William Morley.  Masses on Sunday at 8.00 and 11.00. Catechism is at 4.00, and Vespers at 7.00. On Holydays, Mass at 8.00 and High Mass at 10.00. On weekdays Masses are at 7.30 and 8.00. Rosary every evening at 7.00. Friday evening Way of the Cross and Benediction at the same time. Exposition on last Sunday in May. The Garrison Chapel is served by the Rev James Carey.  Mass on Sundays at 8.00. Sunday School for buglers and drummers at 2.00. Prayers and Instruction in the Garrison Hospital at 3.00 pm. Prayers and Instruction at the Royal Engineer Hospital at 4.20. On Wednesdays Instruction for the children of the Depot Battalions at 11.00. On Fridays Instruction for the children of the Corps of Royal Engineers at 10.30. Instruction for Buglers and Royal Engineers at 11.00. Rosary, Instruction and Confession for soldiers every evening except Sunday from 5.30.  The Hospital at Fort Pitt and the prison at Fort Clarence are also attended.

It is possible to have your Confession heard in English when travelling in Italy:

Don't Mention The War!

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It is a commonplace among those of us who have represented our country overseas that we, along with Americans and Canadians, don't mention the war in the presence of German colleagues, while colleagues from just about every other European country which took part in WWII mention it at the drop of a hat.  One's subtle circumlocutions are drowned out by, for example, otherwise affable Scandinavians telling Germans that this is where their boys took one hell of a beating (or some such).

Simili modo, we (the royal "we" perhaps, but I don't think it's just me) who worry about the Consilium prefer to separate ourselves from the "Of course you know, Bugnini was a freemason" crowd, preferring to worry about the consequences of what he did than what his putative motives might have been: yet somebody who was there, Louis Bouyer, whose memoirs have just been translated into English, doesn't feel the same need.  Here are four:

"Cardinal Lecaro ... was utterly incapable of resisting the manoeuvres of the mealy-mouthed scoundrel that the Neapolitan Vincentian, Bugnini, a man as bereft of culture as he was of basic honesty, soon revealed himself to be."

"Father Jungmann (an excellent historian of the Roman Missal-but who, in his entire life, had never celebrated a solemn Mass!)"

"Still, I cannot reread that improbable composition [He means Eucharistic Prayer II which he and a colleague had a couple of hours to "get right"] without recalling the Trastevere terrace where we had to put the finishing touches to our assignment"

"I shall only quote a bon mot Ratzinger whispered to me  after three quarters of an hour of Karl Rahner  making himself hoarse with a diatribe he had evidently composed for what Americans call 'televidiots' : 'Another monologue on dialogue!' Ratzinger finally sighed with a smile in my direction."

Thirteenth Sunday After Pentecost 1863

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23 SUNDAY Thirteenth after Pentecost. St Philip Benizi, Confessor, double. Second prayers and Last Gospel of the Sunday. White. First Vespers of St Bartholomew with  commemoration only of the feast of St Philip. 

24 Monday. (Feast of Devotion) St BARTHOLOMEW, Apostle, double of the second class. Creed. Preface of the Apostles. Red. [In Diocese of Hexham and Newcastle second prayers for the Bishop.]

25 Tuesday. St Louis, King Confessor, semidouble. Second prayers A Cunctis. Third prayers at priest's choice. White.

26 Wednesday. St Zephyrinus, Pope Martyr, simple. Second prayers Fidelium (for the Dead). Third prayers A Cunctis. Red. [In Diocese of Hexham and Newcastle, St Jane Frances de Chantal, Widow, double (transferred from 21 August). Second prayers of St Zephyrinus. White. In Diocese of Plymouth, St Leo II, Pope Confessor, semidouble (transferred from 28 June). Second prayers of St Zephyrinus. Third prayers A Cunctis. White.

27 Thursday. St Joseph Calasanctius, Confessor, double. White.

28 Friday.  St Augustine, Bishop Confessor Doctor, double. Second prayers of St Hermes, Martyr. Creed. White. Abstinence. [At Newcastle, The Octave of the Dedication of the Pro-Cathedral, double. Second prayers of St Hermes. Creed. White.]

29 Saturday. The Beheading of St John the Baptist, greater double. Second prayers of St Sabina, Martyr. Red.

If you want to know about localism: only four churches (the Cathedral, St Andrew's, St Patrick's and St Charles') are included in the "At Newcastle" rubric on Friday, but included they are. Rubrics aren't just unfeeling, inflexible rules: they prescribe, but also describe, a way of life.

Quite a few of the saints in this week's calendar are pretty well ignored today.  St Philip Benizi, the great Servite saint, St Zephyrinus, a martyred Pope, St Hermes and St Sabina, both Roman martyrs from the persecution of Hadrian, are no longer mentioned.  St Joseph Calasanz has been shifted up to share 25 August with St Louis, so the French King is unlikely to get much of a look in, in the UK at least. This move happened so that St Monica's feast could move from its traditional date in May to be next to that of her son Augustine. I'm sure that somebody will be able to explain to me why this isn't just a piece of treacly sentimentalism, but until then, that's what I'll believe.

St Mary's, Cadogan-terrace, Sloane-street, Chelsea, is under the care of the Missionary Rector, the Rev R G Macmullen; he is assisted by the Revs Charles Batt, and Thomas Alexander Browne.  Masses on Sundays and Holydays are at 7.30, 9.00 and 10.00, with High Mass at 11.00. Vespers and Benediction are at 3.00. On Sundays, Catechism is at 4.00 pm, and an evening Service at 7.oo. Weekday Masses are at 5.00, 8.00, 9.00 and 10.00, with an evening Service at 8.00.  Devotions, Benediction &c are every Wednesday and Thursday evening; during Advent and Lent a Sermon is added. Baptisms are on Sundays after Catechism, and every other day after the 10.00 Mass. Churchings are on Monday and Thursday at the same time. Confessions are every morning from 8.30 to 10.30; on Saturdays and the vigils of Feasts from 8.00 until 1.00; on Sunday mornings and Holydays from 7.00; on Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and vigil evenings from 6.30 pm. The feast of the Immaculate Conception is kept as a solemn Festival, on account of the Confraternity of the Holy and Immaculate Heart of Mary for the Conversion of Sinners, established in Chelsea on that day in 1844. There are also Confraternities of the Blessed Sacrament, and of Christian Doctrine.  The parish is responsible for St George's Hospital, Hyde-park-corner; the Royal Military Hospital; and the Duke of York's Asylum.

In 1910, the same number of priests managed even more Masses: on Sundays at 7, 8, 9, 10 and 11, and on weekdays at 7, 8 and 10. The rest of the parish schedule: Confessions, evening services and so on, was much the same, though as in most parishes in the UK, Vespers was no longer a feature of Sunday evenings.  

Today there is only one priest, but there is Mass every day, and four on Sunday (including the Vigil). One big difference is that there are just two slots for Confession: three quarters of an hour before the Saturday Vigil Mass, and half an hour before the Sunday evening Mass.  The other is that there is Exposition and Benediction on Wednesday mornings at 11.00, but no other scheduled non-liturgical services. 

This isn't a reflection on the Rector of the Parish, but on us, both for not demanding more opportunities for Confession or for other services, and for not providing more priests to carry them out.

On a more cheerful note: there is no reason for any 1863 parish not have a good choir with a large repertoire. (Click on the images to see more detail.)

Twelth Sunday After Pentecost 1863

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16 SUNDAY Twelth after Pentecost. St Joachim, father of the BVM, greater double. Second prayers and Last Gospel of the Sunday. White. Second Vespers of the feast with  commemorations of the Octave of St Laurence, of the Sunday, and of the Octave of the Assumption.

17 Monday. The Octave of St Laurence, Martyr, double. Red.

18 Tuesday. St Hyacinth, Confessor, double (transferred from 16 August). Third prayers of St Agapitus, Martyr. White.

19 Wednesday. Of the Octave of the Assumption, semidouble. Second prayers Deus qui corde. Third prayers for the Church or the Pope. White.


20 Thursday. St Bernard, Confessor Doctor. White.

21 Friday.  St Jane Francis de Chantal, Widow, double. White. Abstinence. [In Diocese of Hexham and Newcastle, the Dedication of the Pro-Cathedral, double of the First Class (with an Octave at Newcastle during which commemoration of the Octave and Creed). Creed. White.]

22 Saturday. Vigil of St Bartholomew. The Octave of the Assumption of the BVM, double. Second prayers and Last Gospel of the Vigil. Third prayers of Sts Timothy, Hippolytus and Symphorian, Martyrs. White.

The Indulgence ends

Coincidentally, St Joachim is celebrated on 16 August: coincidentally, because in 1863 his feast was on the Sunday in the Octave of the Assumption.  It was only after Pope Pius X's assault on the calendar that he was given a fixed feast of 16 August, eventually shifting poor old St Hyacinth one to the right, replacing in turn the celebration of the Octave of St Laurence.

The parish of St Edmund at 23 Westgate-street in in Bury St Edmund's is served by the Rev Jas Brownbill. Mass on Sunday is at 8.00, with High Mass at 10.45. On Holydays, Masses are at 7.45 and 9.00. Weekday Masses are at 7.15 and 8.00. Vespers and Benediction on Sundays and Holydays are at 3.00 pm. On Sundays Catechism and Instruction follow Vespers. On the First Sunday of the month, the Devotions of the Bona Mors are celebrated instead of Vespers. Confession on Saturdays and the eves of Holydays are at 2.00 pm and 6.00 pm; also every morning before Mass.  There are Confraternities of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, the Immaculate Heart of Mary, and of the Bona Mors. Attached to St Edmund's is a school for poor children.

There is another Catholic parish nearby (well, six miles away) at Coldham Hall (the home of the recusant Rookwood family until 1869), but its Sunday Mass is at 10.00.  So how does Fr Brownbill manage to celebrate High Mass at 10.45 each Sunday: where do his Deacon and Subdeacon come from?

Here's another curiosity. In a Florentine Ordo for 1924 appears the following:

The Feast of the Assumption fell on a Friday but there was no abstinence.  It wouldn't have happened here!

Eleventh Sunday After Pentecost 1863

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The Indulgence begins

9 SUNDAY Eleventh after Pentecost, semidouble. Second prayers of St Romanus, Martyr. Third prayers A Cunctis. Green. First Vespers of St Laurence without commemorations. [In Diocese of Hexham and Newcastle Plenary Indulgence.]

10 Monday. (Feast of Devotion) St LAURENCE, Martyr, double of the First Class with an Octave, during which commemoration of the Octave. Red.

11 Tuesday. Of the Octave, semidouble. Second prayers of Sts Tiburtius and Susanna, Martyrs. Third prayers Concede. Red.

12 Wednesday. St Clare, Virgin, double. White.


13 Thursday. Of the Octave, semidouble. Second prayers of Sts Hippolytus and Cassian, Martyrs. Third prayers Concede. Red.

14 Friday.  Vigil of the Assumption. Second prayers of the Octave. Third prayers of St Eusebius, Confessor. Violet. Fasting and Abstinence.

15 Saturday. (Holyday of Obligation) The ASSUMPTION of the BVM, double of the First Class, with an Octave, during which commemoration of the Octave, Creed and Preface of the BVM. White. Second Vespers of the Assumption, commemoration of St Joachim, Father of the BVM and of the Sunday (antiphon Omnis sapientia, versicle Vespertina). Plenary Indulgence.


You can imagine sacristans up and down the land scurrying round today during the week leading up to this Sunday checking the vestments for Sunday: for the first Sunday since last year, there is no feast taking precedence over the Sunday, so the liturgical colour is Green! The Last Gospel will be the beginning of St John's Gospel.  I will reflect later in the year as this series concludes on the effect of radical Sabbatarianism of the "lex orandi, lex credendi" of the Church.

St Laurence is no longer a Holyday of Obligation so is marked as a Feast of Devotion: this year there will be two days when his Octave takes precedence over the saints of the day, though even then they will still be commemorated.

Friday, being the Vigil of the Feast of the Assumption, is a day of fasting and abstinence. No meat, eggs, cheese, milk, butter, dripping, lard or suet; just one chief meal and two collations, the sum of which must not exceed the quantity of the chief meal.

The Parish of St Pancras in Ipswich is served by the RevvJohn Charles Kemp and Patrick Rogers.  On Sundays High Mass and Sermon are at 11.00.  Catechism and Instruction are at 3.00. Vespers, Sermon and Benediction is at 6.30. On Holydays, High Mass and Sermon is at 11.00, with Vespers and Benediction at 7.30. Weekday Mass is at 8.00. On Thursdays, Night Prayersm Sermon and Benediction at 7.30.

Tenth Sunday After Pentecost 1863

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2 SUNDAY Tenth after Pentecost. St Alphonsus Ligouri, Bishop Confessor, double. Second prayers and Last Gospel of the Sunday. Third prayers of St Stephen, Pope Martyr. White. Second Vespers of the feast, with commemoration of  the Sunday, and of the Invention of the relics of St Stephen. [In Diocese of Hexham and Newcastle Plenary Indulgence.]

3 Monday. The Invention of the Relics of St Stephen, Protomartyr, semidouble. Second  prayers A Cunctis. Third prayers free. Red.

4 Tuesday. St Dominic, Confessor, double. White.

5 Wednesday. The Dedication of Our Lady's Church of the Snow, greater double. Creed. Preface of the BVM. White. Plenary Indulgence.


6 Thursday. The Transfiguration of OUR LORD, greater double. Second prayers of Sts Xystan, Felicissimus, and Agapitus, Martyrs. Creed. Preface of Christmas. White. Plenary Indulgence.

7 Friday.  St Cajetan, Confessor Doctor. Second prayers of St Donatus, Bishop Martyr. White. Abstinence.

8 Saturday. Vigil. Sts Cyriacus, Largus, and Smaragdus, Martyrs, semidouble. Second prayers and Last Gospel of the Vigil of St Laurence. Third prayers A Cunctis. Red.


With the exception of Sunday taking precedence the sanctoral, this week is much as would have been celebrated right up to Bugnini's reform of the Calendar, though he oversaw the getting rid of the feast of the Invention of the Relics of St Stephen in the 1950s. St Jean Marie Vianney's feast day after his canonisation was fixed on 8 August. 

There are two extra Plenary Indulgences this week (three if you live in the North East) as there are feasts of Jesus and Mary. Here are more opportunities to get souls out of Purgatory, by getting shriven and communicated.

The feast of St Laurence will fall on Monday, so, as Sunday can't be celebrated as a Vigil, the Vigil is transferred back a day.  

Hands up, by the way, everyone who was caught up at some point wondering about what on earth "The Invention of the Relics of St Stephen" or "The Invention of the Holy Cross" might mean!

The Cathedral Church of St Mary in Newcastle-on-Tyne is served by the Very Rev Mgr Canon Charles Eyre VF, and he is supported by the Revv John A Cooke, John O'Dwyre, and Alexander Drysdale.  On Sunday Masses are at 8.00 and 9.00, with High Mass at 10.45.  Rosary and Catechism is at 3.00. Baptisms and Churchings are at 4.00. Vespers, Sermon and Benediction are at 6.30. On Holydays Masses aret at 8.00, 9.00, and 10.45, and Evening Service is at 8.00. Weekday Mass is at 8.00 (at 9.00 in December, January and February). On Thursdays Discourse and Benediction at 8.00. Baptisms on Wednesdays at 10.00. Confessions on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday mornings at 10.00; and on Friday and Saturday afternoons at 5.00. Way of the Cross on First Friday every month at 8.00pm. and every Friday in Lent and Advent. Confraternities of the Blessed Sacrament; of Christian Doctrine; of the Rosary; of the Immaculate Heart of Mary for the Conversion of Sinners; of the BVM and St Elizabeth for visiting the sick; of the Guild of the BVM and St Joseph; and of the Scapular. The Assumption is kept as the Feast of this Church.  The Church is open every day from 7.00 to 1.00, and from 2.00 to sunset.

New and large Boys' Schools, capable of accommodating 500 boys, are attached to St Mary's parish, and large Girls' Schools for a similar number, under the care of the Sisters of Mercy.  the clergy have the spiritual charge of the Catholics in the large hospital in the town, in the fever-house, the workhouse, and vagrant wards.

Ushaw took in seven year olds.